CITY FAMILY AGREES TO PAY $5,000 TO ROCKY HILL

The board of education has agreed to accept $5,000 from a New Britain family whose children attended Rocky Hill schools for more than a year without paying tuition.

If the Turchetta family pays the settlement by the May deadline, the board will drop a legal claim to recover the entire tuition -- more than $18,000 -- plus interest, legal fees and other relief.

"We're attempting to demonstrate that we will aggressively pursue reports of out-of-district students in Rocky Hill schools," Superintendent J.A. Camille Vautour said.

Darlene Turchetta declined to comment on the settlement Thursday.

She and her husband, Gary, sent two children to Rocky Hill High School from September 1994 to November 1995. The Turchettas, who own a business in Rocky Hill, were attempting to move to town, but were unable to sell their house in New Britain.

Vautour told the Turchettas after the 1994- 95 school year that he planned to remove the children from the school. The Turchettas described their predicament, and Vautour allowed the students 60 days more while the family attempted to close on a house in town.

The Turchettas did not close on a house, and in November 1995 the board said the children could remain in the schools if the Turchettas paid tuition back to the first day of the school year. The Turchettas pulled their children out of the district, and the board filed a lawsuit to recover tuition for the entire 14 months.

Deputy Mayor William Pacelia drew attention to the dispute last month when he asked board members to drop the lawsuit. Pacelia said the board had never before taken a family to court to recover tuition. Board officials said families in the same circumstances have withdrawn their children after being identified.